NYC-2-Africa (Riddim EP)

The NYC-2-Africa riddim was produced and recorded in West Africa, NYC, and Jamaica by Emch of Subatomic Sound and Benny Beats of Nomadic Wax. Striking right to the core of our very existence: Survival, corrupt politics, preserving authentic culture, and the destruction of our environment are the topics of the three heart wrenching vocals delivered straight from the souls of Anthony B (Jamaica), Jahdan (NYC/Guyana), & Bajah (Sierra Leone) on this crucial release.

Do you know about the new subway line connecting NYC, Jamaica, and Africa? No? It may not exist yet, but thanks to producers Emch (Subatomic Sound System) & Benny Beats (Nomadic Wax), this vision already has a soundtrack: The NYC-2-Africa EP was recorded in New York City; Kingston, Jamaica; and Dakar, Senegal, using a single original riddim to trace the diaspora back through history from hip hop’s inception on NYC’s gritty streets to its Jamaican dancehall reggae roots, and from the Jamaican dancehall to its foundation in African rhythms—represented here by a battery of Senegalese sabar drums.

The politics, culture, and environmental awareness fundamental to this musical history are represented vocally by three artists crucial to the diaspora, each delivering what people are calling some of their all time best performances: Jamaican culture dancehall superstar Anthony B; NYC’s reggae/electronic/hip hop firebrand Jahdan Blakkamoore, of Smif ‘n Wesson “Soundbwoy Burial” fame & winner of iTunes 2009 reggae album of the year; and Sierra Leone, Africa’s #1 rapper and bonafide musical hero, Bajah of the Dry Eye Crew. The combination of this music and history is explosive.

Anthony B’s politically charged anthem is particularly riveting because it called out JA’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding at the time he was struggling with civil war surrounding the United States-requested extradition of “Dudus,” a don from the Tivoli Gardens garrison district of Kingston and a leader of the Prime Ministers main constituency—an obvious point of hypocrisy. Anthony B recorded his vocals in Kingston in April 2010, as the the city broke out in riots capped off by the Tivoli Gardens extradition raid. Tensions were further heightened by a drought that led to water supplies to many of Kingston’s residents being cut off for days at a time. When Anthony first heard the African drums, his eyes lit up and he and his crew began a classic African call and response chant to the beat. After listening to the riddim over and over on repeat, he demanded to go straight into the studio and, without a word written, delivered a blistering performance, waiving his lighter and literally jumping off the walls of the vocal booth while singing like a man possessed by inspiration.

To make this dream a reality required a truly international collaboration, spearheaded by NYC label Subatomic Sound, a cornerstone of current dub and bass culture, in conjunction with African hip hop label and documentary film makers Nomadic Wax out of Brooklyn (producers of the controversial film “Democracy in Dakar”) and also longtime roots and dancehall foundation label, Peoples Records from Kingston, JA. Bajah appears courtesy of Modiba Productions and One Haven Music. NYC-2-Africa subway art conceived by Emch, design by the MTA, artwork courtesy of Angelo Gastelum aka El Poeta.

Featured Releases

Super Ape Returns to Conquer! Lee “Scratch” Perry & Subatomic Sound System team up to re-imagine the Perry’s classic, genre defining dub album, reloaded for the sound system generation. Out now on DL, CD, & vinyl LP.

“NYC-2-Africa-2-Brasil” features two of the world’s top reggae vocalists, Anthony B and Jahdan Blakkamoore, and builds on the NYC-2-Africa project from Subatomic Sound System & Nomadic Wax, a mission to musically connect the roots of NYC hip hop back through Jamaican reggae and then back to Africa. Here it takes another musical journey on an express train to Brasil

Lee “Scratch” Perry & Subatomic Sound System, “Black Ark Vampires”, a throbbing sound tune propelled by subsonic bass, bubbling skanks, and pulsing beats that balance the mystical vibes of classic Jamaican dub reggae recordings with the flammable energy and subsonic vibrations of current electronic bass music, a recipe perfected during their past four years of tours spreading authentic dub to a new generation in places like Coachella, Dub Champions Festival, and Red Bull Music Academy.

“Jah is Coming” is a bass charging 140BPM rootical dubwise UK steppers style cut inspired by classic 70s Jamaican dub. “Dubbing on the Moon” on the B side is a pulsing roots dub driven by a thunderous bassline built on Subatomic Sound System’s original reggae rockers riddim “Our Father, Our King” produced and dubbed in a Jamaican style.

Vinyl Exclusives

Super Ape Returns to Conquer! Lee “Scratch” Perry & Subatomic Sound System team up to re-imagine the Perry’s classic, genre defining dub album, reloaded for the sound system generation. Out now on DL, CD, & vinyl LP.

Lee “Scratch” Perry & Subatomic Sound System, “Black Ark Vampires”, a throbbing sound tune propelled by subsonic bass, bubbling skanks, and pulsing beats that balance the mystical vibes of classic Jamaican dub reggae recordings with the flammable energy and subsonic vibrations of current electronic bass music, a recipe perfected during their past four years of tours spreading authentic dub to a new generation in places like Coachella, Dub Champions Festival, and Red Bull Music Academy.

“Jah is Coming” is a bass charging 140BPM rootical dubwise UK steppers style cut inspired by classic 70s Jamaican dub. “Dubbing on the Moon” on the B side is a pulsing roots dub driven by a thunderous bassline built on Subatomic Sound System’s original reggae rockers riddim “Our Father, Our King” produced and dubbed in a Jamaican style.

About Subatomic Sound

Subatomic Sound is a dub and bass culture focused record label, radio show, event promotions, and home to the Subatomic Sound System DJ/production crew and live band -- based in New York City and hard at work on every level. Spearheaded by Emch as producer, DJ, and musician, Subatomic Sound does original production, audio recording, audio mastering, sound design, soundtracks, live performance and DJ sets. Subatomic Sound System is known for genre bending dubwise productions, explosive shows, and breaking down barriers with a forward thinking adaptation of 1970’s Jamaican sound system culture and analog dub reggae studio techniques to current bass music genres, digital technology, and live performances.